South Bucks Midweek Cycling Newsletter - September 2022
South Bucks Midweek Cycling Newsletter - September 2022
I hope you have enjoyed a good sunny summer of cycling. Feel free to share pictures of your exploits on our Facebook page or send them to me for possible publication.
Thinking of joining a ride for the first time? We have a helpful page on our website which should answer most of your questions, but if you want advice please get in contact.
If you spot any interesting articles, cafe changes or want to contribute your observations, please let me know.
Kind regards,
Peter Robinson
Cafe News
The Aylesbury CTC group visited an interesting little tearoom at Ridgmont station Heritage Centre. It is still a live station on the Bletchley to Bedford, Marston Vale line with a level crossing as other station on the line have. A range of cakes and cooked breakfasts were available. I think I will put it on the MF programme at some point.
Trail Rides
Paul and Viviane are leading Trail Rides on some Wednesdays. They are not on the Rides Schedule because they decide on the Monday if and where to go, so you need to be on Paul's email list. Contact Paul at pthorne.greystones@gmail.com.
New MF rides from Wendover area
In response to John Kane’s request for MF rides to start closer to Aylesbury and Wendover, there is an extra MF row in the Rides List. The rides will be circular which will be easier for those who wish to drive to the start. Contact John for further details and to volunteer to lead. We hope that more choice will bring more riders.
Cycle touring
This looks really good. I am the panniers/B&B/restaurant meals type rather than off-road/bike-packing/camping type, but each to their own. It is good to get away and explore. Does anyone fancy a short UK tour in B&B/YHA?
Christmas Lunch?
Do we want to have a Christmas Lunch this year? I would be willing to take over from Rhona as organiser, but when I asked the group I ride with there wasn't much enthusiasm so I am left wondering. It is one of the few occasions in the year when members of the different riding groups get together to socialise, but numbers have steadily dwindled in recent years. I think it is true to say that it appeals more to the older members who go back years with the South Bucks than younger members. Individual riding groups can easily do there own thing, but is there a format that would bring everyone together? We will need to book a venue quite soon. Please let me know what you think.
How can we get more women on wheels?
Women are under-represented in Cycling UK's membership and on South Bucks Midweek rides. We would like to know why that is and what we can do to make our rides more female friendly. If you are female, do you agree with the points made in the article below? My feeling is that there needs to be a critical mass of female riders for a ride to be appealing. Should we try women only rides? We need female input so please discuss it with your female friends and contact me to see what we can do.
Using Facebook and WhatsApp for Ad hoc rides
It is great to know that there is a Midweek ride to look forward to every Wednesday and a Coffee Pot social meet on Friday morning, but scheduled rides can't suit everyone. Joining the South Bucks Midweek Cycling Facebook group is a way of seeing what is happening in the group and perhaps finding like-minded people to ride with at times that suit you. All of the pace groups, Easy Pace, Moderate, Moderate Faster and Faster Longer have WhatsApp groups which are very useful to notify riders of last minute changes to rides. They are push notifications which means they don't rely on you remembering to look somewhere for last minute changes, though it is always best to check the Rides Schedule the day before. WhatsApp comes into its own if the leader has a problem on the way to the start and is going to be late or the weather becomes dangerous and a ride has to be cancelled. Ask the Ride Coordinator (see below) for the group you ride with, to add you to the WhatsApp group. You need a Smartphone (one that can connect to the Internet) to use WhatsApp but it is simple to install and use.
News of people
Ali, Cilla Gosnell's daughter has passed on this news of Cilla's illness:
Cilla is very poorly at the moment and in Stoke Mandeville Hospital. She's had pneumonia but still has other issues that aren't resolved. It's not possible to visit her at the moment. We send our best wishes to Cilla and her family.
Peter Southworth suffered a broken wrist in a fall from his bike while touring in Germany. He is safely home now but with a wrist brace for another 4 weeks. He hopes to be back on the bike sometime in October. We wish Peter a good recovery.
Dangerous incident at the Pink & Lily junction
Ray reports:
Cross roads of Pink Road and Wardrobes Lane
The Major Road ahead sign at the top of Wardrobes Lane cannot be seen when driving to the crossroads. The sign needs to be moved away from the cross road and put further down the Wardrobes Lane 150 ft for example. This came to my attention when a car drove straight across Pink Road from Wardrobes Lane without stopping. We were a group of cyclists travelling alomg Pink Road when a small car drove at high speed straight across in to Lilly Bottom Road a cul de sac. The driver we assume obviously unfamiliar with the roads did not see any signage and drove straight across. We are lucky to be alive, 2 seconds faster and we would be dead. Foolishly we did not turn round and go to talk to the driver who would have had to stop in Lilly Bottom Road. The sign is at the junction rather than before it and cannot be seen as it is blocked by trees and bushes. The issue has presumably been like this for a long time
The report's reference number is 40200394. Please quote this if you need to contact the council about this report.
Cycle Jumble
Ray reports: The Cycle Jumble at the Epileptic Centre on 3rd September was crowded with sellers with so much equipment and tools but mostly for 1970 to 1990 classic bikes. We managed to sell some equipment but I think much of it went to vendors who make a business out of such cycle jumbles.
Ray managed to sell a Campagnolo Rally rear derrailleur of mine for £80! It was an awful thing in my opinion, heavy and with a very heavy action, but undeniably rugged. I imagine that not many were sold as it was aimed outside the normal Campagnolo clientele and there were better products available from the likes of Sun Tour, so a collector's item I guess.
Ride leaders needed
There were 46 riders across all rides on August 31st, including 10 males and 2 females on Hector's ride, so rides continue to be well supported, but Ride Coordinators comment on the difficulty of getting leaders. We have some great stalwart leaders and many thanks to them, but we need some other of the many experienced riders to volunteer to lead. It isn't that difficult to lead and grateful riders will be queueing up to buy you a pint at lunch. (is this right? Editor) Sorry I got a bit carried away there, but the riders will be grateful. Personally, I enjoy finding new cafes, the route planning and exploring new areas and lanes. I know that not everyone does, but you are amongst friends who will offer help if needed. Everyone who rides regularly should be prepared to lead occasionally, but please ask for help with whatever aspect puts you off; route planning, mechanical issues, group management on the day etc. If you need help with route planning or using a GPS device to navigate then please ask. If you are willing to lead but just need a bit of support then contact me or your Ride Coordinator.
Tubeless tyres - are they any good?
This is just my view based on one make and model of tyre on one make of rim. If I find something that works I tend to stick with it and not try all the alternatives.
I have now done 9400 miles since November 2020 on Schwalbe Pro One 700 x 28 tyres on Mason Hunt All Season Disc wheels. I chose the tyres just because they were ones that Hunt would pre-fit.
I was attracted by the theoretical benefits of less rolling resistance due to not having friction between tyre and tube, less mass at the outside of the wheel, and a smoother ride at a lower pressure, but I was worried that I would be stuck by the side of the road with a problem I couldn't fix. I was particularly worried that it could happen on tour in some remote place, so I wanted to get plenty of local experience first. I did my first tour on tubeless in Slovenia where the tyres coped brilliantly with gravel roads and a cobbled hairpin descent, though most of the roads were excellent and my companion didn't get a puncture on tubes either.
Initially I used Doc Blue sealant but found that although it would usually seal with some loss of pressure, when the tyres were pumped to full pressure again, they tended to weep sealant which didn't inspire confidence. Having said that, I never had to do more at the roadside than add a bit a more air. When I changed the tyres I changed to Effetto Mariposa Caffelatex sealant, which is a bit thicker, synthetic and works much more reliably. I only realised that I had had a puncture after 1400 miles because I noticed some sealant on the bottom of the rear mudguard.
The recommended pressure for my 28mm tyres and weight is 70 psi front and 75 rear which gives a good comfortable ride, rolls well and takes the sting out of the Bucks road defects. I think that grip is good too, but can't prove that.
To fit tubeless tyres, you need a big puff of air to make the tyre seat on the beads and keep the air in, which means using a pump with a tank. After borrowing one I bought an Airshot to use with my track pump which worked well with the valve core removed. Once the tyre has seated you can remove the tank, which lets the tyre down but it remains seated. Add sealant using a syringe via the valve, then inflate the tyre. Tubeless tyres may loose pressure slightly more than tubed ones but I only pump them about once a week.
Pros
Smooth ride, good grip, low rolling resistance, no possibility of pinch punctures, no tube changing by the side of the road; especially appreciated in winter conditions.
Cons
A bit more of a faff and equipment to fit tubeless, but that happens infrequently and in the garage or bike shop. Less suitable for tyres narrower than 28 mm because higher pressures are required placing bigger demands on the sealant.
I do still carry a tube, but mainly to lend to others. I would limp home on a soft tyre rather than mess about changing a tube by the roadside with sealant everywhere. If you are someone who would struggle to get a wheel out and change a tube by yourself, then tubeless would really be worthwhile. I could have added expensive to the Cons, but everything is expensive at the moment until supplies recover and there is no reason why tubeless should be dearer long term.
For more information visit our website or join our Facebook Group. If you want to see where your friends are riding check our club page on Strava. You can get a free account on Strava to log your rides.
To plan your next ride with us check our Rides Schedule.